Usefulness of Money

Meaning: According to the Rigved 10/117/1 - the usefulness of money is to remove the wants of the sorrowful. That is why that work should always be kept going. The ungenerous, miserly and hoarders always become unhappy. Hoarding of wealth gives rise to fears and doubts. That is why the money remaining after satisfying one's requirements should be offered to the society.

Message: God has given man, not just hunger, but death in the form of hunger. Every time there is hunger, hunger and hunger only. No one knows the innumerable types of hunger troubling man! Not only the hunger for filling the belly but the hunger for wealth, status, reputation, the hunger of the senses, the hunger of the ego - all this hunger of man never gets satisfied. He is always uneasy for staking his claim on whatever exists in this world. The man with such a tendency of collecting everything always suffers. Man has to labor a lot, first in earning the money, then in increasing it, then in protecting, spending, using it for indulgence and finally in destroying it. He suffers from every type of fear, worry and illusion. There is sorrow in earning money, sorrow in protecting the income, sorrow if the wealth is destroyed and if it is spent, then also worry and sorrow. In each case, it becomes the reason for unhappiness, for sorrow. In each case, it becomes the reason for unhappiness, for sorrow.

The meaningfulness of money does not lie in hoarding it, but in using it for good purposes. Once one's needs are satisfied, then in offering the remaining amount to the society, lies the meaning fullness of wealth. it is the injunction if the veds to enjoy by renunciation. First feed others, then eat.

    Those who have should give to the needy. We are not alone, but our whole life is joined with the entire humanity. We have to discharge the obligation which we owe to society and the nation.

if we understand this philosophy then fear will be removed from our mind that our wealth is  reduced by giving to others. The person to whom we are giving the money is a part of us only. the Sanskrit saying is 'aatmavat sarvabhootshu'i.e.the same type of atma (or the soul) is there in all living beings. The need satisfied by our donation contributes to our progress and in the end increases our personal happiness and our wealth also. The man who helps others during their times of need, he too received god's help generously when he needs it.

Ungenerous and miserly men always lead lonely lives and are scomed by the society. Neither does such a man have friends nor is anyone prepaid to help him. Man remains wrapped up in hoarded wealth but it is not that essential for life. The main elements necessary for life are knowledge, strength, happiness, sympathy; love etc. although one thing is true, that death overtakes both the people with full stomachs as well as the hungry. Death occurs of both, those who donate and those who do not. But the only difference between the two is that the person who donates, obtains invaluable life-giving riches, his wealth never diminishes whereas the man who has never given any donation, is deprived of all these and lives a narrow-life like the living-dead.

Only they are capable of giving donation for good causes who possess pious 'atmabal' (strength of the soul)